


One-man Hide and Seek

by Lunaniella



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Demon!Hannibal, Doll!Hannibal, M/M, Supernatural - Freeform, Tiny!Hannibal, alternative universe, horror story, student!Will
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-12
Updated: 2018-08-25
Packaged: 2019-03-03 22:12:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13350570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lunaniella/pseuds/Lunaniella
Summary: Beverly coaxes her boys into playing a creepy internet game of hide and seek. A somewhat sceptic Will agrees to play the game, but soon he finds he might have gotten himself into something far more dangerous than he anticipated.Forgive me it's not beta'd. It might be corrected at some point in the future but this is a result of major procrastination on my part.





	1. Hannibal

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a little creepy ficlet I decided to write. I don't know if it will be continued but for now it's here.

> In a creepy old house I
> 
> found a creepy doll.
> 
> I bent to pick it up
> 
> and boy did I have a fall.
> 
> I stood up had a lump
> 
> on my head, but
> 
> otherwise alright. 
> 
> I looked out the window,
> 
> day had turned to night. 
> 
> I looked and looked but
> 
> did not find the doll.

Shirley Smothers 2012

 

 

It was nearing to 2:30 AM when they switched off all the lights in the house and unlocked the front door. On the coffee table in the room they laid out all of their supplies that they gathered. One packet of rice which Brain reluctantly bought three days ago after a long nagging from Bev that “They all needed to have their input in the game”. One needle with a crimson thread that Bev grabbed from her grandmother’s place to stitch on some patches weeks ago. All in all it was a disaster and Will had to step in. He surprisingly had a lot of home-making skills. One pair of nail clippers, they were rusty and old but Brian insisted they were usable. Scissors that Will ended up supplying. Cup of water. Some himalayan salt that Bev got from her yoga obsessed sister who claimed it would purify her system. Or some other bull. She never used it, takeout food was her bread and wine. And finally One doll with limbs. This item they all got earlier that day.

* * *

 

It was around noon when the group of friends stepped into the small, stinky and cluttered shop with big letters “Thrift Store” written in blue on an orange background. The sign was rusting and the paint was lifting off. It was like a sign of what was to be found inside. Everything was positively medieval, smelled of cabbage and catpiss and as Jimmy put it “Was straight out of a Macklemore video”. After a brief mess around where Bev dressed Jimmy in an old lady sleeping gown complete with a cap, and Brian came out in a second hand “Sexy Fireman” costume they got down to the business. Finding a doll.

 

They searched the store up and down. Bev found a creepy porcelain doll straight away, but she fell in love with her blank eerie expression and didn’t want to cut her up. About five minutes of playing about with the monstrosity she named her “Cindy” and proclaimed her to be the an “Honorary member of their team”. Jimmy couldn’t find any dolls, instead he brought out a cluster of old, moth scarred, glossy eyes teddy bears. There must have been about seven and all of them came from the same house, as aparent by the stench which lingered in their matted fur. 

 

“What. They have limbs, they’ll work. Right?”

 

Brian had the bright idea of taking the raggedy ann doll from the display. Upon moving her he discovered she didn’t have one arm so that was kind of a clear sign of no. But next to it was where he found a slumped over baby-doll. He would recognise that unnerving smile anywhere. It was a baby laugh a lot. Sure it was worn out, lacking batteries and it probably had a broken voice box. But the bright red hair, the chucky like face. It was love at first sight, even Bev got a little jealous. But she still claimed Cindy was the one. 

 

Will almost gave up looking for a doll, he was ready to take Jimmy’s offer of using one of the teddies when he found him. It was a really bizzare find because he could swear he looked on that shelf about five times and it was only on the sixth when his attention was caught by a little hand peeking out from behind some ornaments. He moved the clutter away to reveal the strangest doll he had ever seen. 

 

The figurine was of a man with sharp and handsome features in a navy, striped suit. It was not entirely small in size. A good length of 20 something inches. The clothes were stuffed with something soft and the material felt silky. The almost sliver ashy hair was neatly arranged on top of the doll’s head. But the most striking thing in the doll’s appearance were its eyes. At first they looked brown, maroon coloured. But when the light caught them at just the right angle they burned the brightest crimson. Something about the doll didn’t feel right to Will, so much so he considered putting it back and looking over again. But before he could, Bev jumped out from behind him. 

 

“Perfect!” she screamed ripping the doll out from WIll’s hands, examining it. “That will do. Let’s go boys!”

* * *

 

And with this the decision was made. This was the doll they would use for the ritual tonight. As they gathered up the rest of their materials they set the meeting time for midnight. Midnight because, according to Brian, it was the “Spoopy Hour”. Though it was suppoed to be a silly game it was shockingly well thought out. It was thursday the twelfth but it was soon turning friday the thirteenth. It was the perfect set up for this creepy game. First they got some beers and put on a horror movie. Thoroughly unnerved by the film, slightly tipsy from the alcohol Bev pulled out a print out of a page with the rules on it. 

 

“Okay, I will now read the rules.” Said Bev, sitting cross legged next to the coffee table where they laid out their materials.  “Number one. Take out whatever the doll is stuffed with and restuff it with rice.”

 

Brian grabbed the scissors while Bev held the doll. They cut into the back of it’s suit and pulled out a good chunk of it’s soft, cotton stuffing. Then poured the rice inside, it made a little hissing noise as it filled the floppy doll.   
  


“Clip off a few pieces of your nails and put them inside the doll…” She didn’t even get to finish the second point when a horrified Jimmy interrupted.

 

“OH HELL NAW!” He cried inching away from the doll. “That’s gross! You said nothing about about this Bev!”

 

“What did you think the nail clippers are for, genius?” Asked annoyed Brian.

 

“I Don’t know but I ain’t doing it.

 

“So who’s going to chip their nails in?” Asked Will giggling, but lowkey hoping that the whole thing would be called off if they couldn’t agree. The doll was giving him some serious creeps and the earlier film didn’t help the unrest we was currently feeling.

 

“Ain’t. Doing. It.” Mouthed Jimmy.

 

“Me neither.” Brian followed. Bev clapped her hands.

 

“Thank you for volunteering Will!.” She decided as Will’s expression dropped.

 

“Why is it always me?... Argh! Whatever. Let’s go!” 

 

He grabbed the clippers from Brian and almost violently clipped off a few pieces. When Bev was satisfied with his DNA sacrifice she sprinkled it in with the rice. Now taking the needle and thread she began sewing the doll up. The thread turned out messy and there was a tiny hole where the rice had a way of escaping. Will offered to fix it but she said it was fine, that the doll was not going to going to be useful to them later. 

 

“Okay… Now go to the bathroom and fill the bathtub up with water. Return to the hiding place, that means here, and put the salt water on the ground.”

 

Brian and Brain went to fill up the bathtub with water as Will and Bev dunked the salt inside the cup of water on the coffee table.

  
“Do you actually think it's real?” Asked Will, a little worried that Bev was getting a little too into it. Wanting to confirm she was still in the plains of reality he just had to ask.

  
“Of course not. But it’s good fun. It’s gonna totally spook the boys. Come on, they coming. Step five! Give a name to the doll, it can be any but your own.”

 

“How about Jed? It looks like a Jed.” Proposed Jimmy but Brian shook his head.

  
“Nah, I think it should be more sinister. Like Lucifer or something.”

 

“Oi are you crazy? Do you want to summon Satan here or something?”

 

“How about Hannibal?” asked Will. The trio looked at him then at themselves but all in all Bev decided it was a good name. 

 

“Yeah. That will do.”

 

It was now five to 3am. And Bev decided that they should start playing, the remainder of the rules would be given to Will and he would play on his own as they listened in from the outside. 

 

“That’s no fun! How are we going to enjoy the spooks?” Moaned Jimmy who was all of a suddenly oh so keen on playing the game.

 

“What, being in a house with a possessed doll and a portal to hell isn’t enough?”

 

What Brian was referring to here was the old rumour surrounding the house. It was a student house and before that a motel. Each of the rooms were converted to single studio apartments for students. This one belonged to Will. In the basement of the building was a laundry room. There was an old rumour, back from the days when the site was a hotel, that the basement was the site of satanic rituals which ultimately opened up the portal to hell. It wasn’t something Will was overly concerned with but he still wouldn’t go to the basement alone if he could help it. But this fact made the complex the hotspot of supernatural events, if someone wanted to play ouija or do a ritual that was the place. Some more business savvy students actually rented out their apartments for a night so that others could enjoy the creepy environment it provided. 

 

“Can’t we play Ouija board or something?” Whined Jimmy further but Bev cut in.

 

“We can, sure, but will has to finish the ritual. You can’t leave it halfway through or we will all die.” 

  
It wasn’t entirely true, they didn’t even really start the ritual. But it was enough to shut Jimmy up. He allowed Will to proceed with the game. 

 

The clock struck 3AM and the four students silenced. Will went to the bathroom with the doll in his hand.

 

“Will is the first it, Will is the first it, Will is the first it.” The he dropped the doll into the bathtub. Perhaps a little too violently but he didn’t mean to drop it. Feeling a little bad, if in fact a spirit was to come into the doll and it wasn’t an evil one, he picked up the doll once more and now placed it inside the tub with a little more care. 

 

He went back to the room where the other three were huddled up in the corner. The rules called for a TV but as poor students they couldn’t afford one. Instead he opted to turn youtube on from his phone, blasting some conspiracy video he huddled up with the rest of the group.

  
“Way to make it sound like you were calling beetlejuice” Jimmy tried to joke in a hushed tone but Bev quickly shushed him. Will started to count to ten with his eyes closed. They sat there, in silence, with only the sound of the youtubers voice listening out for any noise from the bathroom. But nothing happened. After Will finished he made his way to the bathroom. 

 

To his relief the doll was still in the bathtub, sitting with a soaked suit and a sad expression. Wait. Did it’s expression change? No. Will must have been imagining it all. He picked it up and carried on with the steps of the game. 

 

“I have found you, Hannibal.” He said, his voice weirdly shaky. From the main room he heard a snicker that definitely belonged to Jimmy. 

 

Reluctantly he “stabbed” the doll three times with the scissors. It was more of a press on the dolls clothing really, it didn’t really pierce it or anything. Then he put the Hannibal doll on the counter and once again chanted.

 

“You are the next it, Hannibal. You are the next it, Hannibal. You are the next it, Hannibal.” 

 

Finally he returned to the room where the others were. He sat down with them once more this time they switched the youtube video off and sat in complete silence. It was more nerve wracking than before, waiting for nothing listening in to the sounds of the night. It was eerily quiet, usually you could hear cars go past even at this time of the night. But there was nothing. As if they were in a soundproof box. There were no sounds from the bathroom either, much to their relief.  Finally Jimmy couldn’t take the silence anymore.

 

“What are we exactly waiting for?” He asked, a little too loudly. He was surprised how it echoed in the room. 

 

He was met with three angry “Shhhhs” and he shut up. They waited for what seemed like an hour longer and finally Bev very gently patted Will on the shoulder.

 

“Wanna finish it up?” She whispered and Will nodded.

 

He took the salt water into his mouth. It wasn’t a pleasant sensation, the savoury taste numbed his taste buds. Filling his cheeks to resemble a stacking hamster he slowly walked to the bathroom. The trio was right behind him, curious of the game’s outcome. They were all sure that the doll was going to be on the counter where lift should have left it but they still needed to make sure with their own two eyes.

 

The door to the bathroom creaked slightly as Will began to push it. It was oddly strange, it never made a noise before. Not on the previous times Will entered the bathroom that night nor any time before that. He readied the cup of remaining salt water in his hand, he stepped inside, spat out the water in the general direction of the counter. Threw the contents of the cup on the counter, he heard it splash again the floor.

 

“I win, I win, I win!” He chanted triumphantly but when Jimmy turned on the bathroom light they all gasped loudly.

 

The counter was empty, spare for the dripping salt water which was now half a puddle on the floor. Brian’s eyes doubled in size, Bev sort of stared at the scene concentrated, Jimmy screamed like a little girl and ran out to the living room and Will just sort of stood there. Frozen. He watched on, a weird twisted feeling in his stomach raising through to his head. He felt dizzy. Then Bev began to laugh.

 

“Good one!” She said in between fits of giggles. “You almost had us there, Will.”

 

“This is absolutely not funny, Will, I could have died of a heart attack!” The disgruntled voice of Jimmy reached them from the hall. He decided not to stick around and already was on his way back to his own apartment. 

 

“I swear, I didn’t…” Will tried but couldn’t choke out any words. “That wasn’t me!” 

 

“Whatever, you really got Jimmy good. It’s getting late now though, see you in class tomorrow!” Bev tried to keep her cool but she grabbed Brian and also hurried out of Will’s apartment. 

 

If Will wasn’t so freaked out himself he could possibly find it funny how spooked the rest of the group was. If he planned to move that doll from the beginning, if he had hid it instead of playing by the rules of the game this whole situation would have been absolutely hilarious. But it wasn’t. Because the moving doll was not his idea nor his execution. And it couldn’t have been anybody else because there was nobody in the house except for them. And all were accounted for at all times. 

 

When Will finally shook off the initial fear and put it up to an accident, that maybe in the giddy state he was in he did hide the doll somewhere but doesn't remember. That maybe someone else was in the house and took it while they were sitting in the dark. After all they had to leave the front door unlocked and who was to say Bev didn’t set this whole thing up as one messed up prank. 

 

He started to clean up the mess they’ve made in the bathroom, the lights were on in the entire apartment now. Soon he realised something strange. There was a trail of tiny little wet footsteps, with a rice grain or two here or there leading from the bathroom to the front door. Completely not in the mood to explain this rationally, Will opted for sleep. He rushed the cleaning process, fell into his bed surrounded by dog plushies, hugged Winston tightly to his chest and started to fall asleep.

 

It is a well known fact that you cannot possibly feel panicked for a couple of hours at a time, so when he was finally beginning to drift off to sleep Will felt a little more calm than before. His breath steadied, heartbeat slowed. Regardless, he slept with the lights on that night. And in his dreams he was visited by a black, mass that shifted from a stag with eyes glowing red, slowly, slowly into a tall human. The man smiled, revealing, white pointy teeth which got closer and closer to Will, as his night sweats began. 


	2. "Hello Will"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hannibal is still missing, Abi end up in the hosptial and Will is confused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay everyone seems to be enjoying my awful ideas! Thank you for all the kudos and comments, I really appreciate it <3 There won't be a posting schedule for the story but for now I definitely will continue with it.

The sun was up in the sky and the birds were tweeting outside of the window. The horrors of night passed were no longer present in the house as Will woke up. But his clothes were still wet with terror, clinging to his frame tightly.    
  


He washed and showered quickly, forgetting the events of last night as best he could. Right now in the light of they the events from last night seemed so distant and unreal that he quickly came to the conclusion the whole thing was just a product of the terror and illusion caused by the lack or rational thinking from all parties that night.

 

Having decided this he confidently stepped out of the door and started to walk to class hurriedly. He had roughly fifteen minutes to get there before the class started so not an awful lot of time. But he could do it. If he only hurried. On his way down the stairs he was startled by a hand on his shoulder. He didn’t realise the full extend of his paranoia till he screamed like a banshee as he felt something touch him. In that moment he felt so silly, it was a Jimmy worthy behaviour he should have been more conscious.

 

The hand that touched him for attention was not the hand of a demon but instead his neighbour. Abigail. She was a really nice, reserved girl. Often they ate together as they lived next door to each other. They became fast friends and it wasn’t unusual for them to walk to class in the mornings.

 

“Are you alright, Will? You seem out of it.” She asked with a concerned, parent-like look on her face.

 

“I’m okay, Abi, you just surprised me. That’s all. What’s your schedule today? Mine’s packed, I don’t get back till the evening.”

 

“Mine is okay. I only have class until twelve.”

 

“Lucky.”

 

Abigail proved to be a much welcome distraction. As Will arrived on campus he had almost waved away the clouds of last night’s darkness. Joking with Abigail right up until he went into his class. He was a little late but for her sake he didn’t mind. Jumping straight into learning he didn’t think about the missing demon doll till lunch time.

 

At noon he grabbed a milkshake from the cafeteria and headed out for a walk to enjoy the beautiful weather outside. And again, for the second time that day, he was startled by a hand on his shoulder. He had a more dignified reaction this time and slowly turned to see who was behind. It was Brian, and he had an urgent sort of look about him.

 

“Will, tell me seriously. Did you hide that doll?” He inquired immediately. “ I can’t sleep at night thinking about it, it was on my mind all day today. I’m starting to sound lame, I know. But please, I won’t tell the others if it’s your prank. Just tell me really. Was it you?”

 

Will really didn’t know what to say, he was just as freaked out by the whole thing as Brian was. But it was rare to see Brian in this state, he didn’t want to worry his friend further.

 

“Yeah. I hid it, I threw it away after as well. Should have seen all your expressions, they were priceless.” He admitted. Though it was a lie, he had to calm his friend somehow. He for sure knew there was some mystery surrounding that doll but at least now Brian wasn’t involved.

 

Brian let out a sigh of relief as he started to lecture Will on the “douchiness” of his prank. Will let him carry on the ridicule and took the achievement proudly. Though it was still not his to claim. 

 

The entire rest of the day was easier than the start though exhausting nonetheless. The last lecture he had with Bev, Jimmy and Brian got cancelled in the end and they all headed out for pizza. The skies turned dark and evening came faster than Will had expected and before he knew it was late. 

 

Bev lived close by with her Grandmother. Her parents insisted that it would be cheaper for her to live with the old lady rather than by herself. And also it was close by to the university so it was a massive plus. The old lady was a really positive, full of life individual who loved having Bev’s friends around. They all often gathered to drink tea and eat some homemade food at Grandmother’s house. That is what everyone now was calling her, she was the Grandmother of everyone in Bev’s friendship group and you could tell she was loving it. Years of neglect and forgetfulness from her own family was finally rewarded with three new Grandchildren and one very thoughtful Professor Crawford. Although the man had some anger issues during his lectures he was sweet and kind to Mrs Park. 

 

The first house on their way back from downtown was Mrs Wong’s house. The old lady didn’t have any curfews for Bev, but you could see she still worried when the girl came back late. She had clearly been waiting for her to come home.

 

“Well hello there,  _ Yadula*” _

 

“Good Evening Mrs Park, you look stunning in your new nightgown” proclaimed Jimmy right from the get go. 

 

Mrs Park seemingly blushed saying something along the lines of “Oh stop it”. She liked everyone that Bev brought over to the house but especially Jimmy who cracked jokes left an right and was always complimentary of her. They stayed for tea with the old lady, she was appreciative of the company but soon went to sleep. She was no longer young and couldn’t keep up with their late night habits. Or so she claimed. But they all knew the old lady had more life in her than their campus combined. 

 

After an hour or so of drinking tea and munching on ginger biscuits Jimmy, Brian, and Will announced that it was time for them to go. Bev seen them out the door and they said their goodbyes but they headed to the student apartment complex nearby. Jimmy and Brian stopped at the first set of flats where they lived as roommates in a shared room. And Will was forced to continue on his own to his own apartment.

 

The flashing lights was the first sight that welcomed him home. The blaring blue and red hit him in the face, blinding him ever so slightly. There was two police cars and a single ambulance present at the scene. There were a few residents gathered outside, some watched from their windows. The police were speaking to a few, clearly taking statements. As soon as he approached a police officer beckoned him over. 

 

“Are you William Graham?” The stoic faced man asked. Will nodded and the man pulled out a notepad and a pen. “Where were you between the hours of five and six pm?”

 

“I was at a pizza parlor, downtown.” Will answered, puzzled as to what was going on.

 

“Can anyone confirm that?” Asked the man, his voice was monotone and he clearly was fed up with his job.

  
“Yeah I was with friends…”

 

“Can you name those friends?” The police officer was scribbling all the information into the notepad he held. He didn’t even seem interested enough to look up from it. 

 

“Beverly Katz, Jimmy Price, and Brian Zeller… Why? What is this about?”

 

“Your neighbour, Abigail Hobbs, was viciously attacked earlier today. We are just trying to rule out any suspects of the crime…”

 

Will’s stomach sank and he suddenly felt sick. Somehow, something inside of him made him think of the doll in that moment. The creepy, cruel prank of last night. His rational mind dismissed it but the thought somehow lingered. 

 

All in all what he managed together by asking police and his neighbours is that Abigail was pushed down the stairs and scratched. They said the scratches looked like that of a wild animal but a wild animal attack in the middle of a town in a populated university campus was highly unheard of. She was found a few minutes later by a classmate who was returning from her classes. Will tried to wrap his head around the whole thing but it was confusing him more.

 

Abigail's parents were called from out of state but they still had at least until the morning to arrive. Abigail requested that someone stayed with her that night and she named Will as her only friend in town. Will obliged and headed straight to the hospital to spend some time with her. 

  
When he arrived he looked bad. She was pale and bruised up around the face. Her life was not in danger but because of her dislocated jaw she wouldn’t be able to eat for a few more days. Lines of fluids were connected to her veins. It all made Will feel sick and panicked. He

truly hated hospitals and  wanted to run away from that place. But the wellbeing of his friend was his utmost concern at that time. He sat down next to her, she looked at his and weekly smiled. He grabbed her hand and they sat down together like that for a little while.

 

“Will…” She whispered, clearly having difficulty speaking due to her jaw.

 

“Shh…” Will tried to hush her but she used her hand to hush him instead.

 

“I know I’m not crazy. They all think I’m crazy…” She tired. It was clearly the excitement and adrenaline of the day getting to her brain. She was speaking nonsense... Surely. 

 

“What are you talking about, Abi? Nobody thinks you’re crazy…” Will tried but her eyes turned to panic and he rapidly sat up. Ripping a needle out from her vein she clasped her hand around Will’s throat. It wasn’t a gentle motion, she had strength which could not possibly belong to a wounded girl. Her eyes turned, there was pure madness in them. Her whole body shook as she opened her mouth, reopening her jaw injury.

 

“It was him! I know it was him!” Her voice didn’t sound like Abi at all. William freaked out and tried to call a nurse but Abigail’s hand clasped tighter around his throat which cut off the air from his lungs.

 

He tried to pry her hand away but she was too strong. She didn’t say anything, just shook and stared at him. Her whole persona looked insane, and as Will tried to choke out any words a nurse came through the door just in time to see the whole scene unfold.

 

As the nurse ran to Will’s aid, Abigail began shrieking loudly which alerted nearby hospital staff. Everyone rushed in to try to get the girl off of William and finally when her hand let go of his throat he fell back on his chair, choking on air. 

 

He had already began to gone blue to the lack of oxygen and now that his face began to reclaim colour he turned red. The original nurse checked up if he was okay, while the others tied Abigail down. Knowing she would be a danger to anybody else in the room the nurse lead Will out of the ward.

 

“Do you know if she is an abuser of any drugs, prescribed or otherwise?” The nurse asked and Will shook his head.

 

Abigail wasn’t the type of girl. She was quiet and sweet. Diligent in her classes, always on time, her grades were high. She didn’t even go out to party all that much, so Will couldn’t phantom something like drug abuse from Abi’s side. 

 

He was instructed to go home that night, for his own sake. Abi’s parents were already on their way so the nurses assured that it would be better for both Will and Abi if he went home to rest.    
  
When he finally did get to his flat he noticed the missed calls and messages from his friends. Not wanting to worry them further but also not having the energy to respond to any of their texts he sent the same generic response to everyone, hoping it would satisfy them.

 

**Abi is in the hospital, she is fine. I’m fine too. Just got home**

 

After pressing send on a mass text, he locked his door and proceeded to the bathroom to wash his face. As he looked in the mirror he noticed a perfect, red hand imprint wrapped around his neck where Abigail grabbed earlier. Was her behaviour in the hospital really the result of drugs? And why did everyone say she was insane? Maybe he really should have noticed something about what she said to the nurses but he figured Abi was in capable hands, whatever happened. 

 

First thing he noticed after getting back to the main room was that his door was not only unlocked but also wide open. There was no one but him in the room. At least not as far as he knew. Putting it down to carelessness and tiredness he locked the door and sunk into his computer chair, massaging his face to get rid of some tiredness.

 

From behind him came a deep accented voice. It was not a familiar one. He whipped his entire body around faster than it was humanly possible. There, on the coffee table stood the Hannibal doll.

 

“Hello, Will.”


	3. He's Alive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will is loosing his mind. Abi's condition turns for the worse. And the damned doll is alive. Or is it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long hiatus with this story. I will finish it... one day. Don't loose hope <3

Will blinked a few times before freezing. His body suddenly felt like ice, all his heat seemed to have escaped. His brain and heart sunk down to his stomach and he felt a panic overcome him. He wanted to run, scream, break things all at the same time. But he did none of that. He just sat in his chair, his eyes like two saucers fixated on the doll. 

 

Hannibal looked Will up and down before swaggering over to the edge of the table. He sat down on the edge to let himself slide down to the floor and continued over to the man.

 

“You’re staring Will, it’s rather rude.” The doll proclaimed. “I suppose it is our first official meeting, so let me introduce myself. My name is Hannibal Lecter.”

 

And with that the Doll extended his arm toward Will. The man was too deep in shock to run by his brain that he was going to shake hands with a dolls. He extended his pointing finger and gave it to Hannibal, who squeezed it softly in a mock of a “firm” handshake. Wills mind was racing.

 

It was Alive. Of course it fucking was. Everything was muddled in Will’s head for a few minutes before it started to become clear. Whether this was a cruel joke the universe played on him, or the reality he was living now it started to piece together. They summoned a spirit which harmed Abigail. And it was now inside the doll. Perfect.

 

“No, Will, I can assure you I did not attack your friend.”

 

Will looked puzzled but Hannibal continued nonchalantly.

 

“Telepathy is one of my many talents, Will. Though not my speciality I don’t have the gift to use it all the time. A blessing, really. Considering the implications of reading one’s mind constantly.”

 

Will finally found his voice, if this was going to be his reality he was going to live it. His voice was still a little shaky, but he swallowed his doubt and attempted to sound confident.

 

“If you didn’t hurt Abi, who did?”

 

Hannibal first sighed deeply, then walked back to the coffee table. Will, keen on hearing him out, lowered himself down onto the floor. They were at almost eye level now.

 

“I suppose one could say the one who hurt her was  _ you _ .” Though his words were accusatory his tone was rather matter-of-fact. “Playing with powers you do not understand, Will, has grave consequences. You should count yourself lucky your little game last night did not summon something darker.

 

“I thought yesterday that was you?” Will’s question was met with a low and raspy chuckle from Hannibal.

 

“No Will, you did not summon me. You would not be playing silly little games if you had the power or the knowledge to summon me. No, what you encountered was a simple spirit. Vengeful in nature but rather harmless on it’s own.”

 

“It hurt Abi, how could it be harmless? And where is it? Will it hurt anyone else?” Will’s panic started rising once again but Hannibal put his palm on Will’s lips to seal them.

 

“It is awfully late to be worrying about all of this, Will. It is time for bed.”

 

“How do you expect me to sleep?” Will’s sudden explosion startled him. But Hannibal seemed unmoved. 

 

“ _ You will sleep. _ ” 

 

Before Will could even argue back his limbs took him straight into his bed and darkness overtook his vision. The whole night was dreamless. When his alarm went off in the morning he groggily got himself out of bed and into the bathroom. The events of last night where blurry to him at best so he tried not to think about it. Thinking about it would just make it more real. 

 

It was saturday and that meant “Froyo” day for Will and friends. It became a little bit of a tradition to get the frozen snack every saturday afternoon, and Will didn’t have to wait long before he received a group message calling everyone to their local chain. 

 

When he arrived he found the group had already been long discussing the case of Abi’s attack. Apparently the police quickly had to ask the public for help with the lack of evidence they received. Though a day was a little ridiculous, Will had to admit. He quickly made an order and joined the others at the table. Jimmy was already on his second portion, while Brian’s sat melted and abandoned at the edge of the table. It irked Will a little, though he wasn’t too sure why. 

 

Munching on his sweet treat, he listened intently to the theories Bev was beginning to weave as to who or what could have attacked Abi. 

 

“You don’t think something dark came through that portal, do you Bev?” Jimmy asked, his voice cracking when mentioning the creepy basement “portal”. 

 

“It very well could have, we cannot rule it out. I mean there was absolutely nobody in the entire block at that time apart from Abi. or at least not anyone who should have been there. If it was a human, he would have been spotted by someone. Either on security cameras or by a witness.”

 

“Right there was no one on the security camera. Do you think it could be a police cover up?”

 

“A police cover up? For an assault of a college student?”

 

“Because surely demons are the answer to everything Bev!”

 

The atmosphere in the shop was getting tense. And while Brian and Bev argued, Jimmy was starting to get jumpy. He was visibly getting more distressed shooting quick glances at Will. Or more correctly his bag. And suddenly a scream broke the argument. 

 

“JESUS CHRIST!” Jimmy screamed reaching into Will’s bag and pulling out Hannibal. “Did you have to bring that  _ thing  _ with you?” 

 

Will’s first instinct was to defend himself. To tell everyone how the doll must have followed him. Afterall it was alive, somehow. Whether it was possessed or actually evil it moved. And followed him here. Because how else could it have gotten here, he didn’t pack it after all. But no excuse could justify this situation in a manner that would make Will seem sane. So he just gave a quick, nervous laugh.

 

“Yeah, uh, sorry I found him last night. I just wanted to show you it wasn’t out murdering people and stuff.”

 

His friends gave him a unified death stare, which only made him more nervous. The conversation restarted when Jimmy gave the Hannibal doll back to Will, who nervously stuffed it back into his bag. And though the topic of the incident was avoided until they left the cafe, Will couldn’t shake the awkward feeling off his back. Just before they the shop Will visited the bathroom.

 

Upon making sure he was alone he carefully took out the doll from his bag and placed it in a sitting position on a sink. 

 

“Why did you follow me?” He asked the doll. 

 

But it just sat there, motionless and stared at him with blank eyes.

 

“What are you trying to achieve?!” This time his tone was firmer and more annoyed. The doll didn’t even blink. 

 

Of course it can’t blink, it's just a doll. Was he truly losing his mind? The stress of the incident at the hospital must have made him hallucinate. Or have a lucid nightmare. That was it for sure. This morning he must have grabbed it by accident and put it in his bag half asleep. And this, this was stupid. He shoved the doll back into his bag and went to meet his friends.

 

They all had decided to visit Abi, afterall she kept to herself at school. There probably weren’t a lot of people right now willing to cheer her up in the hospital. And if she felt better Will wanted to make sure he didn’t hold her actions against her. 

 

But they didn’t get far in the hospital. The group made it about as far as the ward where Abi was placed before being turned away by a strict looking nurse. She made a general excuse about “the patient needing rest.” and told them to “try their luck tomorrow.”  

 

But just as they were about to leave Will caught a sight of Abi. She looked worse than yesterday. Extremely pale didn’t cut it. Her skin was down right grey. The veins that were so clear on her skin gave her a slightly blue tint. He had never seen dark circles so prominent, it almost looked as if she had two black eyes. And they were twitching. Her pupils wandering from one corner of the room to the other rapidly. And she appeared to be mumbling. Will felt his heart stop in his throat as the feeling of guilt overtook him. 

 

“Will! Will Graham!” 

 

The group stopped dead in their tracks and Will spun around. A balding middle aged man, wearing plaid was jogging their way. He had never met Abi’s parents but he’d seen their pictures on her facebook. And this, for sure, was Mr. Hobbs. 

 

“I had a feeling this was you. I wanted to thank you for taking care of  _ my  _ little girl. And I also wanted to apologise on her behalf. I heard what happened yesterday…”

 

“It was nothing, Mr. Hobbs. There is nothing to apologize for.” Will interrupted. But the man ignored him and continued. Something about him striked WIll as odd.

 

“You see, my little girl, she isn’t  _ herself  _ right now. Something evil has taken up residence in her. Something ungodly. But don’t worry. I will rid her of it.” At this point, the features on Mr. Hobb’s face twisted into a grimace of a smile. It gave Jimmy the shiver. “ _ My _ little girl will be returned to God. I will make sure of it.”

 

“Good luck, Mr. Hobbs. And Goodbye.” Bev suddenly stepped in, pulling the boys by their collar and pushing them into the first lift she saw. When Will took a last glance at the man he was still stood, smiling like a mad man, in the middle of the hall. 

 

“That whole family ain’t right in the head.” Mumbled Brian under his breath.

 

“Don’t be an insensitive bastard, he must be stressed to fuck.” Bev scolded him immediately. 

 

“Guys… Do you think he is right? Is Abi possesed? Is it our fault?” Jimmy’s voice cracked.

 

“Ghosts don’t exist” Will chimed. The statement was a little too loud and too sudden even for his usual dramatic standards. So he tried to soften it. “Don’t be stupid. Like Bev said. They have to be stressed about the whole thing, it makes you say strange things sometimes.” 

 

This reassurance was more for himself than for Jimmy. Because at this point he didn’t know what to think of this situation. The entire walk home he was silent, walking slightly behind the group. From time to time glancing inside his bag discreetly. Each time he found the doll was still there. And each time it had not moved. 

Will’s night routine began with his usual long shower. He had to clear his head a little so he put on rather loud music to drown out his thoughts. But it was sounding off. Odd notes would come through at the wrong times of familiar songs, sounds he hasn’t previously spotted on these recordings would sound. This annoyed his so much it cut his showertime in half. As soon as he was done with the basic hygiene he burst through the door of his bathroom into his room. 

 

What he found there made his blood boil. Hannibal, spread out oh his bed humming along to the sounds of loud, classical music coming from a vintage record player. One that Will certainly did not own. Will’s face contorted into a frown. 

 

“What are you doing here?” He spat.

 

“I was here the entire time, Will.” Hannibal replied, his calmness only adding fire to Will’s rage.

 

“Bullshit! You weren’t there when I spoke to you before!”

 

“Language Will.” Hannibal's tone was playful.

 

“I can’t get you out of my head, stop playing with my mind!”

 

“I am doing no such thing, Will.” Now Hannibal’s tone became harsher. As Will sank onto his bed and hid his head in his arms.

 

“Please, just go away.”

 

“But you need me, Will.” Will did not look up, but he knew Hannibal was close. And progressively getting closer.

 

“What would I need you for?”

 

“To get rid of your demons… Or to nurture them.” The little light Will allowed in his room was fading from his vision, and Hannibal's voice was so close he could almost feel his breath on the nape of his neck. 

 

“I can get rid of them on my own.” Will’s voice was sluggish but he managed to mumble the entire sentence out before falling asleep.

  
“You  _ fascinate  _ me, Will.”


End file.
